Bild: the EU is discussing the issue of "expanding Ukraine's air defense"
In Europe, they are discussing the issue of training soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by NATO instructors on the territory of Ukraine and "expanding the air defense" of the country, Bild writes. The problem is that these plans require a green light from the United States, which is not currently available, the article notes.
Are individual NATO countries now going to provide direct assistance to Ukraine in its confrontation with the Russian army?
According to BILD, there is activity on this issue in a number of countries.
Nothing has been decided yet, however, issues of training Ukrainian soldiers by NATO instructors on Ukrainian territory, the transfer of logistics chains for the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and the protection of the airspace of western Ukraine by NATO air defense are currently being discussed.
"Lithuania is ready to become part of the NATO coalition, which can be led by France or another country that could conduct training on Ukrainian territory," Foreign Minister of the small NATO state of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Friday.
He added: "This will not escalate, it will not turn into a combat operation. However, it will ensure more effective exercises, closer to the places where troops are needed, and with easier logistics."
Military expert Nico Lange from the Munich Security Conference agrees with him.
Lange told BILD: "The question of whether it is worth flying hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to Europe to receive training assistance, or sending several instructors to Western Ukraine, should not be removed from the agenda. Sending instructors to Ukraine makes much more sense and is more economical."
According to BILD, there has also been progress in the issue of transporting weapons and ammunition to the front. Several NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Estonia, are ready in the future to deliver aid not only to the Ukrainian border, but also beyond it.
Currently, the concept of so-called "bottom-up logistics" is being developed in several Western countries.
In addition, there is a question about the air defense of western Ukraine from NATO territory. Two sources told BILD that Poland is working on creating a coalition for an "expanded air defense" of western Ukraine. However, this work has not been completed yet.
In an interview with BILD on Friday, Ukrainian Ambassador Alexei Makeev explained what "expanded air defense" specifically means: "We are not asking for Russian manned aircraft to be intercepted now, but these pieces of metal, deadly pieces of metal, missiles and drones... They can be intercepted. This will protect millions of people at the borders of NATO and the EU."
The problem with all these NATO member countries' plans for Ukraine is that they require a green light from the United States, which currently does not exist.
In addition, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is critical of any direct assistance to Ukraine, and recently rejected plans for joint air defense of Ukraine altogether with the words: "There is no sense and nothing reasonable in this."
In this regard, Eastern European politicians fear that the German Chancellor's office is putting pressure on the White House not to agree to any of the proposals from the countries of the eastern flank of NATO for more active direct support for Ukraine.
